


Ultra Danganronpa Reboot: Terminal Despair

by Nowi_Wins



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, It's a killing game, Rated M for Super High School Level Swearing, killing game, will add tags as needed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-05-28 03:44:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15039968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nowi_Wins/pseuds/Nowi_Wins
Summary: Inside a mysterious and deadly manor, 16 Superlative Members of Society, dubbed Ultimates, will be pushed to the brink of despair.Monokuma returns for another Killing Game in Ultra Danganronpa Reboot: Terminal Despair





	1. Welcome to the Ultimate Manor - Prologue: Part 1

 

 

 

> Good morning Tyler King, and welcome to the Ultimate Manor. You have been identified as a superlative individual in your society, and in accordance with your status as an Ultimate, have been brought here to enjoy a life of luxury among high class individuals such as yourself. Here you can meet with other Ultimate members of society who have devoted years of their childhood to honing their Ultimate Talents. On your nightstand is the key to your room, and in your closet you will find a week’s worth of clean clothes. As the Ultimate Volleyball Pro, you have also been provided with a special privilege. Your room contains dumbbells, a jump rope, and a burlap sack full of volleyballs. We hope that this donation will allow you to continue to hone your skills as the Ultimate Volleyball Pro. Feel free to explore the manor at your discretion, but don’t miss the welcome ceremony in the ballroom at noon sharp.
> 
> ~Landlord

 

_I sat there scratching my head holding this odd piece of paper in my hand. “Ultimate Volleyball Pro?” “High class?” “Life of Luxury?” I've not got any idea what’s going on, but I don’t suppose I’ll figure anything out by just sitting here. I should get out and see who else is here with me. But I’d ought to get my thoughts in order first. I woke up in this giant room with just a bed, a closet, and a nightstand. Why is a room this big so empty? No. That's not my biggest concern right now. Where am I? How did I get here? I’d best sort that out first._

_I’m sure I know who I am. I'm Tyler King. I'm 22 years old. I’ve been a professional Volleyball player for four years now. I’ve gotten a lot more compliments than I deserve as an athlete, but “Ultimate Volleyball Pro?” I’ve never heard anyone call me that before._

_So this is where I woke up. It looks to be a big bedroom. Why is it so empty? There's room for a pool in here and all that’s here is just a bed, a closet, the exercise equipment from the letter, and a giant monitor. Still, this room looks beautiful. Am I in some kind of mansion? The note said this place was called the Ultimate Manor, but that doesn’t tell me anything about where this place is or why I'm here. What was I doing before I woke up here? Why can't I remember? What in bloody hell is going on around here?_

I’m not going to find any new information just waiting around here for the answers to fall into my lap. That letter did say I was free to explore the mansion, maybe I’ll meet someone who can give me some answers. I couldn’t help but feel anxious as I grabbed my key and headed towards the door. I took one last opportunity to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming before I opened the door and took a step out into the unsettling world I had had been thrust into.

Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any more strange, I laid eyes on the first human I would meet in this manor. To be honest, it took me a moment to realize that he was a human. He looked like something out of a sci-fi film, with a black shirt that had neon highlights, and a harness around his chest. Attached to the harness were two musical instruments: a keyboard and a launchpad. Resting atop his silver hair was a pair of headphones with cat ears that had outward facing speakers. He must have seen the bewilderment on my face, because before I could say anything, he pressed a short combination of buttons on the launchpad and flashed a charming smile as a soothing, almost singsong synthesized voice began to play from the speakers on his head.

“Hi, I’m Ghost, Nice to meet you.” We shook hands, and then he continued typing for a few more seconds. In the same melodic, digitized voice, he asked me, “Hey, do you have any idea what’s going on here?”

I shook my head. “Can’t say I do.” I didn’t expect the first person I met to have all of the answers to my questions, but I can’t say I’m not disappointed. “So you're just like me huh? You just got dropped in here this mornin’?”

He nodded solemnly. I shrugged and looked up and down the hall. “It doesn’t look like we’re in any immediate danger. I reckon we should look around a bit more and see what we can find. Maybe there’s a way out of here.”

Ghost nods in agreement, and the two of us make our way down the corridor, past rows of what we could only assume to be other bedrooms, and found ourselves in a grand entrance hall.

The first thing that caught our eyes were the massive double doors. They looked like they belonged on a medieval castle. Right away, the two of us tried to push them open, but to no avail.

Ghost took a step back, glanced around, and let out an almost inaudible sound, vaguely resembling a sigh. Gesturing out the window with one hand and typing on his launchpad with the other, he speaks through his instruments yet again. “The snow is almost over our heads. We're probably snowed in.”

He was right. Snow was piled so high on the windows that the sky was barely visible out the top. I silently cursed myself for not noticing this myself, but before I could speak, a shrill voice rang out from behind us.

“Onii-chan! I'm scared!”

“We’ll be alright, kid. I promise I'll take care of you.”

Ghost and I turned around and were greeted by the source of the voices. A girl with dark green hair who looked like she couldn't be older than fifteen wearing a white kimono with a floral pattern, and a stout brown haired man wearing a black coat over a white tee shirt. Our eyes met, and it was the girl who first broke the silence.

“Kya! It's a real life android!” The girl breaks away from the man and bolts towards Ghost, nearly crashing into him. “Do you have to plug yourself in at night? Can you have dreams? What do those buttons do?!”

Ghost exhaled and made a panting noise that almost sounded like a chuckle. He began typing with an amused grin on his face. “I'm no android, this is just a costume.”

“If you aren't an android, why do you talk with that robot voice?”

Not seeming the least bit offended by her question, Ghost cheerily replied, “I have a throat injury that prevents me from making any noise, so I have to use this launchpad to talk through my headphones. I do have to plug it in at night though.”

“Sugoine! You're so cool!” The girl giggles.

“Give these two some space, Yui.” The larger man cuts in. “We wake up in some shady manor and your first assumption is that we were magically brought to an anime world. We haven't even introduced ourselves yet.” He then turns to me. “I'm Daniel Taylor.”

“The Ultimate Psychic!” The girl, who was apparently named Yui, cuts in.

“Don't get so worked up about that shady letter, Yui.” Daniel sighs.

“But it's true! You really can read minds! Show them, Onii-chan!” The girl pleads.

“Fine.” Daniel concedes. “You.” He begins, addressing me. “You're an athlete. I can tell.”

“Right…” I affirm.

“You don't play a very popular sport among other men, do you?”

“Hey!”

“You're… the Ultimate Volleyball Pro!”

“You -- You're right…” _That was amazing… there's no way he can actually read minds, is there?_

“You still doubt me? Fine. You next.” he turns to Ghost. “Anybody could tell that you're into music, but I'm gonna do you one better. You're the Ultimate DJ, and your stage name is… It’s something supernatural... Ghost.” He chuckles. “You don't need to tell me I'm right, I can see it in your face.”

Maybe… maybe this guy is the real deal.

As we stood there dumbfounded, Yui chimed in. “My turn! I'm Yui Taylor! The Ultimate Kunoichi, but officially, I'm called the Ultimate Ninja.”

“Don't say officially, Yui, it's just some shady letter.” Daniel interjects.

“Quiet, baka! I’m the Ultimate Ninja!” Yui pouts.

“Ninja?! Like a real assassin?!” Ghost’s eyes widen. “Those still exist?”

“Of course they do.” Yui giggles. “You just don’t see them because they’re ninjas!”

As much as I wanted to doubt her, I was already becoming desensitized to the absurdity of this situation. “Well it's nice to meet you, Yui. I'm Tyler King. But your brother probably knew that too.”

Daniel smiles knowingly at me as Ghost introduces himself. “As you guessed, I'm Ghost, the Ultimate DJ. Nice to meet you.”

“We’ve still got around half an hour until the opening ceremony. We should probably explore the manor a bit more in the meantime, eh?” I suggested.

“You guys go ahead. Yui and I are gonna stay here for a bit.” Daniel responded. Yui nodded in agreement.

“I'll see ya ‘round then.”

“I'll come with you.” Ghost quickly added.

“Alright then. I guess we're off.”

Aside from the exit currently blocked off by snow, there were 4 corridors leading from the entrance hall, as well as well as a grand staircase that was roped off.

We entered the corridor directly across from the the suites, and found ourselves in a dining hall, where we were greeted by two women. One of them with short grey hair and a black robe with a rose motif, and the other a much more tan girl with a floral crown on her head and a sky blue dress covered in colorful floral patterns.

“Oh howzit, brah! You both Ultimates show up here outta blue too?” The tan girl inquired with a cheerful smile. I had no clue what she said, but Ghost was already typing up an answer, thank the Lord.

“Yeah. We just wound up here this morning. We don't know how we got here at all. I take it you’re in the same situation?”

Oh, that’s what she asked. Coulda fooled me.

The grey-haired woman spoke next. “You are correct, cyborg. We both woke up in our rooms with no memories of how we got there, and we both had letters dubbing us Ultimates. I am Kanae Nishimura, our host has dubbed me the Ultimate Fencer. Despite this title, I do not limit myself to training only with a foil. I am a master of all edged weapons.”

There was something unmistakably intimidating about her demeanor. Though she was a few inches shorter than me, she had a remarkably intense threatening aura about her. It was clear by Ghost’s face that he wasn’t immune either, but the other girl seemed strangely at ease next to her.

“Dis tita really someting ya?” the bubbly woman chimed in.

“Pardon me, I don’t believe I caught your name.” I inquired of her.

“Ah, I’m Leilani Kalili, de Ultimate Fire Dancer. I seen haole from all ova da world come ta Hawaii jus ta see me. I guess dat’s what makes me Ultimate, ya?”

“Interesting. I’ve always found fire dancing to be a very fascinating art, but I’ve never witnessed a performance myself.” remarked Kanae.

“No need wait no longer, sistah! Once we find out what’s goin’ on here, I’ll be sure to give a show you ain’t never gonna foget!”

“You have my thanks, Leilani. I will look forward to it.”

Kanae smiled then, and just for a moment that intimidating aura of hers vanished. As she directed her attention from her back to me, however, her smile quickly faded into an unreadable poker face and I felt myself unintentionally tensing up.

“What about you two? What talents brought you to this place?”

I swallowed, trying my best to find my voice before I began speaking.

“I’m Tyler King. The Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

“And I’m Ghost, the Ultimate DJ.”

“I see.” Kanae began. “That explains your appearance. Our host seems to have an obsession with our talents. I must ask, did our host leave that equipment for you to find in your room upon waking up?”

Ghost nodded. I suppose that means whoever brought us here knew us well enough to know what we would need to live here. Still, this entire situation is too strange.

It looks like there’s a kitchen in the back of the dining hall. I guess we may as well check that out while we’re here. Ghost and I bid the girls farewell and headed towards the kitchen at the back of the room.

The kitchen was much larger than I imagined, with a wide variety of appliances, half of which I had never seen before and could only guess at their intended use. At the sight of it all, I pondered aloud, “I wonder if there’s some kinda cooking staff that works here? Whoever brought us here clearly has loads of money, so I doubt they bother cookin’ their own food.” Ghost nodded in agreement.

“Um, e-excuse me…” A small voice called out to us from the other end of the room. We looked up and saw a short figure standing at another door in the kitchen. He wore a blue button up shirt over a colorful tee shirt and sweatpants. He timidly approached us and extended his hand out to us. “I- I’m Finn Matheus… it’s nice to meet you.”

I took his hand and shook it. “I’m Tyler King. The Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

“I’m Ghost, the Ultimate DJ. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Finn shook Ghost’s hand next, then pulled back somewhat quickly. He almost seemed intimidated by his digital voice. Ghost, who was seemingly used to this kind of response, lowered the volume on his voice through some combination of buttons on his launchpad before continuing.

“Hey, don’t you have an Ultimate something too? Everyone else we’ve met was called some kind of ultimate.”

“Oh… That…” Finn seemed embarrassed to be talking about himself. “Well, the letter I got said I was the Ultimate Fan Artist, but, but that’s just a mistake. There’s no way my art is _that_ good. There are so many people who are better than me…”

“Oh, come off it, I’m sure if you g--”

“Yo! There’s three of you in here! Nice!”

I was cut off before I could finish my sentence by another person entering the kitchen. He had slicked back hair, and an unbuttoned jacket with some logo emblazoned on it over a tank top. He casually strode over to us as he introduced himself.

“I’m Alex Galanis, the Ultimate Speedrunner! There’s nothing I like more than an impossible challenge!”

“Oh… hi there. I’m Finn Matheus, the… Ultimate Fan Artist, but I’m really not tha--”

“Nice to meetcha, Finn!” Alex interrupts, grabbing his hand and shaking it. “What about you, robot?”

“I’m Ghost, the Ultimate DJ. It’s a pleasure to--”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s nice to meet you too.” Again, Alex didn’t wait for the person he was talking to to finish introducing himself.

“What about you, pretty boy?” Alex was addressing me now.

“Tyler King. The Ultimate Volleyball Pro.” I sighed, not bothering to volunteer any additional information.

“Short and to the point. I like you. Welp. See you at the ceremony!”

And with that, he was gone.

Ghost was the first to break the awkward silence after he left. “Well he’s an impatient one…”

“I reckon he’s not called the Ultimate Speedrunner for nothin’, huh?” I agreed.

Finn let out a nervous chuckle. “Heh… I… I guess so…”

I let out a sigh. Today is going to be a long day.


	2. Prologue: Part 2

Ghost and I stood together in the entrance hall now face to face with a stern looking silver haired woman and a tired looking black haired man. The woman was dressed in a maroon peacoat and a grey skirt, and the man in black jeans and a leather jacket over a white tee shirt. He had several rings and piercings and his hair covered half of his face.

“I don't believe we've been introduced.” Begins the woman. “I'm Jade Diamond, the Ultimate Moderator.”

“Are we just making up names that sound cool? Then I'm Swagmaster420 the Ultimate Pussy Demolisher.” sneers the man.

Jade’s expression darkens. “My legal name…” She begins, “is Jade Amber Diamond. That is the name on my passport and my paychecks. I agree that the title Ultimate Moderator is fairly melodramatic, but that was the title given to me in my letter. Now if you would please tell us your name--”

“Give me a break, it was a joke.” The man sighs. “I’m Tobin Dwyer. The Ultimate Commentator.” For the Ultimate Commentator, his introduction sounded incredibly forced and monotone.

Jade’s expression does not lighten. “Is now really the time for jokes? None of us know how we got here and nobody can contact anybody outside. We should be taking this situation seriously!”

“Excuse me, but I just woke up in the goddamn Playboy Mansion and met the Ultimate Weeaboo and her brother, the Ultimate Fatass, and now I’m standing next to a disco machine man and you want me to treat this shit like it isn’t a joke?!”

I could have sworn I heard Ghost chuckle as he began typing in his launchpad, managing to finish his message just before Jade could find the words to respond with. “Hehe. Disco machine man. That one's new. I'm Ghost, the Ultimate DJ. Nice to meet you.”

“If you’re about to tell me that Ghost is your legal name…” begins Tobin.

Ghost puts some effect on his voice that makes it come out completely monotone as he speaks. “Of course not, my legal name is G0-S2. I am the latest in android technology. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Beep Boop.”

Amazingly, both of them chuckle, and the tension in the air is lifted. I smile and introduce myself.

“I’m Tyler King, the Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

Jade remained somewhat curt and withdrawn even after she and Tobin had stopped fighting. She must have been embarrassed about losing her temper earlier, or perhaps she couldn’t think of anything nice to say, and she was electing to remain quiet.

Still, I found what Jade said too strange to simply leave it be. “I’m sorry Jade, did you say you were the Ultimate Moderator? What exactly does that mean?”

“If you’re asking what makes me ‘Ultimate,’ only the one who wrote my letter knows that. I am a moderator on several online forums, but I would never call myself ‘superlative.’”

“interesting.” Ghost muses. “What about you, Tobin? You said you're a commentator? What kind?”

“I've done all kinds of work. I've done voice overs for TV commercials, I’ve done shoutcasting for a few eSports events, I’ve done a couple podcasts on my own time. Just that sort of stuff.”

“I see…” I respond.

Tobin sighs. “At least you guys seem pretty much normal.You know, we might be the only sane people in this entire manor.” He looked like he was about to say more, but evidently stopped himself, sensing Jade’s hostility. “Anyway, I’m gonna go check out that hall.” Tobin gestures towards the kitchen. “It’s the only place I haven’t been yet.”

And with that, he was off.

“I’m going back to the suites.” murmured Jade “I want to… check something.”

I couldn’t read Jade’s expression as she turned her back on us and headed down the hall, her room key in hand.

I had to take a moment to appreciate Ghost’s help. He was able to completely change the mood in the room with just a couple jokes. Whatever happens here, I’m sure I’ll be in good company with Ghost.

Finn had told us about the remaining rooms that we had yet to visit. On either side of the grand staircase was a corridor. The one on the left lead a unisex bathroom and had an entrance to the ballroom, the one on the right had another entrance to the ballroom and a large rec room. We still had a little bit of time before the ceremony, but we decided to check out the ballroom regardless.

The ballroom was massive, furnished with ornate tapestries of gold and purple. A massive chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the room below. Two more individuals were there when we entered. One, a woman with black hair tied into a ponytail, the other, a man with short black hair. The woman wore baggy sweatpants and a loose fitting tee-shirt. She also had a jacket tied around her waist. The man wore glasses, a white baseball cap, and a white blazer.

“Oh, there are more.” the woman sighs.

“Yeah… they keep on coming.” the man agrees in an absentminded tone. “I didn’t know there were robots too…”

As Ghost laughed the man’s comment off and introduced himself, it occured to me that being called names like that must be part of his everyday life. The fact that he can still smile and make lighthearted jokes about it is kind of amazing.

“Call me Ghost, I’m the Ultimate DJ.”

“And I’m Tyler King. The Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

“You guys have Ultimates too, huh?” The man in white almost seems disappointed.

The woman shrugs “You are the only one here without an Ultimate, it seems.”

“I… I guess so…” the man sighs. “I’m Edin. Just Edin.”

“Really? You didn’t get a letter like everyone else?” Ghost asks.

“I got a letter, it said all that stuff about the Ultimate Manor and Superlative Members of Society and the life of luxury and all that, but my letter didn’t mention anything about having an Ultimate thing or privilege. It just said to be here by noon. So I decided to wait here.” The man recounts, sounding strangely indifferent.

“I see…” Ghost muses.

“Well do you have any particular talents? Anything you’re good at?” I volunteer.

“Nope… I’m just a guy… I don’t know why I’d be brought here…”

“I see… What about you? You’re an Ultimate, right?” I ask the woman.

“Yes. I am Sofia Volkov. The Ultimate Free Runner.”

“Free runner? Like those guys that do backflips between buildings?” I ask.

“Exactly. I’ve tagged some of the tallest buildings in the world and traveled between cities without dipping any lower than three stories off the ground.” She explained.

“Ghost… are you okay? You look like… _you’ve_ seen a ghost…” Edin sleepily suggests.

“I don’t like heights…” shudders Ghost.

“I see… I am sorry for making you uncomfortable.” Sofia apologizes.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” grimaces Ghost. “Wait a second…” he quickly adds. “Tagged? Like graffiti? Isn’t that illegal?”

“You’re a DJ. Are you telling me you’ve every venue owner who’s ever paid you has been an upstanding citizen?”

“Good point.” Ghost concedes.

“Anyway,” I begin, trying to save Ghost from this conversation, “There’s still a bit of time left before the opening ceremony. Why don’t we check out the last room before the opening ceremony?”

Ghost agrees. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Ghost and I excuse ourselves and enter the rec room.

The room was furnished with a pool table, a dartboard, and several board game tables including chess and backgammon. There was also a large round table that looked like it was for playing cards.

Two people stood in front of us, evidently having just entered. One was a petite girl with glasses wearing a zipped up hoodie that looked about 3 sizes too big to be hers. Her hoodie’s sleeves covered her hands, and her pink miniskirt was barely visible under it. The other was a tall man with brown curly hair wearing a beige jacket over a button up shirt and tie. In a voice barely above a whisper, the woman spoke.

“Oh… Hello… you must be Ultimates, huh?”

“Apparently.” I sigh. “I’m Tyler King. The Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

“And I’m Ghost, the Ultimate DJ.” Ghost swiftly adds.

“I see… I’m Ellania Lin, the Ultimate ASMR Artist.” The girl whispers. “It’s nice to meet you.”

_Ultimate ASMR Artist? I guess that explains why she’s so quiet. Still, that’s such a specific Ultimate. Who’s out here rounding up such a specific group of people? What’s the purpose of it all?_

The man introduces himself next. “I’m Edmund Clarke, the Ultimate White Hat Hacker.”

_I don’t know much about hacking, but that at least sounds practical… Aside from being called “Ultimate” what could we all possibly have in common?_

“A white hat… That means you’re one of the good guys, right?” Ghost asks.

“In simple terms, pretty much. The technical explanation is boring as shit, but basically, I just figure out where programmers fuck up and then tell them how to fix their shit before anyone takes advantage of it.”

Ellania chuckles. Before any of us got the chance to say anything, another woman entered the room. She was gorgeous, with long blonde hair, expensive looking jewelry, and a gaudy black dress. Ellania’s demeanor instantly changed. She took a step back as she entered and suddenly seemed much more reserved. She was staring at the new entrant with a strange expression.

“Do I know you?” inquires Edmund.

“You seem familiar.” Ghost agrees.

I didn’t recognize her at all, and Ellania was completely silent.

“You must be fans of my work!” The woman chuckles. “I’m Eva Nilsen, the Ultimate Actress!”

We all introduce ourselves, and Edmund inquires further about Eva. “An actress? What kind?”

“Most of my work is in low budget short films. I've had offers to work in larger movies, but I usually turn them down. I don't like being committed to one project for such a long time.” Eva responds.

“Interesting… I must have seen you around the internet at some point.” concludes Edmund.

“It’s pretty likely. I’ve also done modeling for advertisements for a TON of companies, so it makes sense that you’d recognize me.”

“I see… That’s probably it.” Ghost seems satisfied by this explanation.

_It’s strange though. I don’t recognize her at all. I wonder why that is. Oh well, I doubt that’s important anyway._

At that moment a bell rang out throughout the manor

**Ding dong dong ding**

I couldn’t explain why that sound made me nervous, but it sent chills down my spine. A holographic screen appeared in the middle of the room. Though the picture mostly static, I could barely make out a figure with doll-like proportions. When the figure finally spoke, I felt anxiety build up in my chest.

“Ahem. Testing testing. Mic check! One two! Welcome to the Ultimate Manor! The Opening Ceremony will begin in five minutes! Everyone please make your way to the ballroom so we can begin right on time!”

The voice was so high pitched and carefree it was almost comical, but something about truly disturbing about that nonchalant voice. Looking around, it was clear that everyone else felt the same way.

Ellania speaks for the first time since Eva had entered. “I don’t think it would be a good idea to be late…”

We all nodded in agreement and made our way to the ballroom, where we saw everyone we had met with earlier.

“What the hell is this?” Alex shouts as the last of us enter. “There’s no way this is everyone, there should be sixteen of us!”

“I believe this is everyone.” Retorts Kanae “I was vigilant in my search of this manor earlier. There is nobody I met earlier today who isn’t in this room.”

“No, I think he’s right…” Begins Daniel, counting heads. “There’s definitely someone missing…”

“Exactly!” Alex shouts. “I counted sixteen suites, and there’s only fifteen of us here! I wanted to meet up with everyone and get a feel for the map before the welcome ceremony, but I only met fourteen of you! Where’s the last one?!”

As if on cue, the doors opened, a tall woman wearing the gaudiest getup I had seen all day entered. She had blonde hair done up into twintails with a flower hairpin, a blue unzipped sweater over a bright red tee shirt with some kind of logo on it, a black and white striped miniskirt, and mismatched colorful thigh-highs.

“Hey! Where have you been?!” Alex demands.

Indignantly, the woman responds. “I was doing my hair and makeup! What’s the big deal? It’s not like we had to be anywhere other than here right? Chill out!”

“Whatever…” Alexander sighs, rolling his eyes. “Who are you anyway? What’s your Ultimate?”

“Ultimate? Oh, you mean that thing in the letter! I’m Janii, the Ultimate Celebrity! Does this mean you all have Ultimates too? You’re all superla-whatever people or whatever?”

“Wait a minute…” Daniel begins, “I think I’ve heard of you… Aren’t you banned from Sweden or something?”

“Oh yeah, I think I heard about that… Some about violation of privacy and disturbing the peace or some shi--” Edmund is cut off by Janii before he could finish.

“Oh come on, that was totally that old lady’s fault, besides that happened like six months ago, it’s totally irrelevant anyway! More importantly, what are your guys’ Ultimate Whatevers?”

“If you hadn’t waited until the last minute to leave your room, you would know that already.” Tobin sneers.

“Whatever, emo guy, just give me the short version. I don’t know any of your names.” Janii pleads.

With a heavy sigh, Alex states his name and Ultimate, and each of us follow suit.

“Alex Galanis, Ultimate Speedrunner.”

“Sofia Volkov, Ultimate Free Runner.”

“Tobin Dwyer, Ultimate Commentator.”

“Edin… I don’t know my Ultimate thing.”

“Daniel Taylor, Ultimate Psychic.”

“Yui Taylor! Ultimate Ninja!”

“Leilani Kalili! Ultimate Fire Dancer!”

“Eva Nilsen, Ultimate Actress.”

“Tyler King, Ultimate Volleyball Pro.”

“Finn Mathus… Ultimate Fan Artist I guess…”

“Edmund Clarke, Ultimate White Hat Hacker.”

“Jade Diamond, Ultimate Moderator.”

“Kanae Nishimura, Ultimate Fencer.”

“E-Ellania Lin… Ultimate ASMR Artist…”

“Ghost, Ultimate DJ.”

Janii seems amazed after hearing Ghost speak. “Holy shit! Are you robot?!”

“Nope, I just have a throat injury. I know sign language, but the whole robot thing is part of my DJ schtick. Besides, most people don’t know sign language anyway.”

“Well, whatever you are, if you want to collab some time and help me with a music video, I’ll totally plug you.”

“Right.” I’m certain Ghost was trying his absolute hardest to look interested, but evidently even he had a limit. The tone of his digital voice sounded no different than usual, but his smile was painfully forced. Janii, however, seemed to take no notice.

At that moment, there came a voice from the stage at the back of the room.

“Welp, it’s noon sharp! Time to begin!”

It was the same voice from the announcement, I felt my blood turn to ice water was we all turned towards the stage in unison, anxiously dreading what would happen next.


	3. Prologue: Part 3

The curtain at the stage was pulled back, revealing the owner of the voice, a doll-sized black and white bear with one red glowing eye.

“A… Teddy bear?” Jade asks, baffled.

“No, no no! I’m not a teddy bear, I am Monokuma, and I’m your new landlord.”

“It… talks?” Whimpers Finn.

“Of course I talk! What kind of mascot character would I be if I couldn’t talk?!”

Yui seems deep in thought. “I… I swear I can recognize that character… who are you cosplaying?”

“Oh… has one of my adoring fans recognized me? I promise you, Yui, I’m the real deal. This isn’t a cosplay! I’m Monokuma!”

“Oh, you’re just an OC then?”

“Hey! Don’t lump me in with fictional characters! I’m here, I’m real, and I’m Monokuma! Now enough about me! We’re here to talk about the Ultimate Manor!”

At that moment, I finally find my voice “You’re the one who wrote that letter, then?”

“Yes indeed! I am the one who prepared your rooms, your privileges, and your letters! Was everything to your liking?”

“What is the purpose of this? You’ve brought us here from all over the world, and none of us any memory of being taken here. This must have been incredibly expensive. Are we being held for ransom?” Kanae asks, stone faced.

“Ransom? Absolutely not! What use would a bear have for money in the first place? Your lease at this manor isn’t about me, it’s about you all! As superlative members of society, you’re some of the very best the planet has to offer! You’ve been brought to this place to protect you! Here you can spend the rest of your lives in peace and harmony, untainted by the evils of a world full of commons.”

“Th-the rest of our lives?! No way! What about our families?!” Ghost shouts, mortified.

“Oh? What _about_ your families? Your families are completely unremarkable, common human beings, they have no place in the Ultimate Manor! Well, except for Yui and Daniel.”

Edin raised his hand, looking confused. “Excuse me… Mister Monokuma?”

“Yeeeeees?” Monokuma responds.

“Does that include me? Do I have an Ultimate Something too?”

“What a stupid question! Is there cotton in your ears? I just said, commons have no place in the Ultimate Manor! Of course you’re an Ultimate too!”

Edmund sighs. “Yeah, hi, I don’t really give a fuck about any of this Ultimate shit, can I just go home?”

“Home?” Monokuma giggles “This _is_ your home now! Why would you ever want to leave?”

“You can’t be serious!” Daniel gasps. “There… there’s no way…”

“Oh there’s totally way! By the way, there’s no way out of here, so don’t even think about trying to get away!”

“So we’re… your prisoners? What… What are you going… going t-to do to us?!” Ellania trembles.

“What am _I_ going to do to you? Absolutely nothing! You’re totally free to do whatever you’d like!”

“Oh really?” Tobin smirks. “I’d like to leave then.”

“Already? But you just got here! Puhuhuhu! I guess it can’t be helped. Well, there is _one_ way for you to leave.”

“Why didn’t you start with that?!” Alex demands

“Because I haven’t even given you these yet!” Monokuma pulls several tablet looking devices out of… Hold on, where did he even get those? He threw them at us and I caught one. The message “Welcome, Tyler King, To the Ultimate Manor.” appeared on the screen. I look back up at the bear grinning malevolently at us.

“These are your Monopads! They contain information about the sixteen residents of the Ultimate Manor, as well as the Manor Rules. I advise you review these rules very carefully.” Monokuma began cackling maniacally as we all stared at him in fear and confusion.

“So how do we get out?!” Alex demands.

“Well, like I said, you are all going to be living a communal life here in the manor. But if someone were to disrupt the peace, then they would be evicted from the manor, and allowed to leave. Puhuhuhu! I call it the Eviction Clause!” Monokuma giggles.

“Tell me, what exactly qualifies as disrupting the peace?” Jade asks

“Well… If one tenant were to kill another. That would certainly disrupt the peace.”

“Did you say kill?!” Ellania squeals.

“You mean… Murder?!” Eva’s eyes widen.

“Murder, slay, terminate, dispatch, off, I don’t care what you call it! If you want out of the Ultimate Manor, you have to kill someone and then make it through the Ultimate Trial without getting caught!”

“Ultimate… Trial? The fuck’s that?!” Edmund demands.

“If your lease at this manor was a trip to the zoo, the Ultimate Trial would be the screaming kids teaching the cockatoos profanities! It’s the whole reason you bother going in the first place!”

Ellania stares dumbfounded at the bear. “What is he even talking about?”

“When one of you gets murdered, the remainder of you surviving tenants will participate in an Ultimate Trial. There, the blackened killer and the spotless tenants will face off in a heated battle of deceit and cunning! During the trial, you’ll have to present your arguments about who you think the blackened is! Your votes will determine the outcome, and if you can correctly guess “whodunit,” Only the blackened will receive punishment! But, if you pick the wrong one, I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and that person will be free to leave the manor!”

“You say we gonna get punished if we don’t find da blackened… What you mean, brah?” Leilani asks.

“Simple. Execution.”

Eva’s face goes pale. “W-what?”

“Execution!” Monokuma repeats

“E-execution?” I stammer.

“EXECUTION! If you don’t want to live by Monokuma’s rules, you don't get to live at all!”

“This can’t be real…” Finn stammers

“You're lying!” Ghost shouts

“Me? Lie? But I never lie! Monokuma speaks only the truth!” he proudly proclaims.

Jade tone is calm and collected as she speaks. “You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this game… But what makes you so sure that a murder will ever occur?”

“Yeah!” I shout “There’s no bloody way we’d agree to start killin’ each other for your twisted amusement!”

“Puhuhuhu! You say that now, but you’ve only tasted a fraction of the despair that I have waiting for you! At least a few of you will come around eventually.”

“Like hell we’re going to play along with this!” Sofia shouts.

“Yeah, there’s no way we’d ever let this happen!” Alex shouts.

Monokuma chuckles. “Puhuhuhu. In that case, all you have to do is accept your new peaceful life together. Of course, that would only work if _all_ of you can accept never leaving this place and living together until the day you die!”

“I- I’ll never allow this!!” Yui cries, leaping into the air. She reaches into the sleeve of her kimono and swipes her arm at lightning speed, sending three shurikens soaring down towards Monokuma. Moving at speeds that seemed impossible for something as awkwardly disproportionate as Monokuma, he caught every single one and threw them back. All three of them connect, embedding themselves in Yui’s chest. She cries out and hits the floor with a thud, her kimono quickly changing from white to red.

Daniel cries out and runs to Yui’s side as Monokuma stands over them. “This is what happens when you defy Monokuma! It would be a shame for any of you to die a meaningless death, but I won’t be so forgiving next time! You’re tenants in MY manor now! Get it through your heads!”

Yui’s kimono was soaked with blood now, but she appeared to be responsive and alert. She was on her knees, leaning on Daniel for support. “Wh-why?” she breathes.

Monokuma’s tone becomes impatient “Why? …Why? Why ask why? Why do you need to know why? Why does why matter? Why waste your time with why? Why _why_? The Killing Game is your life now! That’s all you need to know!”

“Don’t talk, Yui…” Daniel whispers. “Save your energy.”

“She’ll live.” Monokuma scoffs. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today! Violence against the Landlord is strictly forbidden! Tenants who violate Manor Regulations receive punishment! It’s as simple as that!”

We all stare in horror at the bear grinning sadistically at us.

He chuckles giddily “Puhuhuhu! That concludes our welcome ceremony! Please enjoy your new communal life of despair! See you all later!”

And with that, he was gone.

“Come on!” Daniel shouts. “Help her!”

Ghost is the first to come to Yui’s aid, and he and Daniel help her to her feet.

“Does anybody have bandages in their room?” Jade asks.

Nobody says a word until Alex finally speaks.

“I mean I don’t have bandages, but I have more of these tank tops in my room. The material is pretty soft and absorbent…”

“I’ve got safety pins. I’m sure we can make some bandages with those,” said Eva.

“Good thinking. You two go to your suites and grab what you need, and meet us in the bathroom. It’s the closest place to clean her wounds.” Ghost suggests.

Alex sprints out the door, and Eva follows. Ghost and Daniel each wrap one of Yui’s arms around their shoulders, supporting her as they walk her out of the room.

Could this be real? Is any of this even possible? As I sat there trying to take it all in, Edmund spoke up.

“What the fuck just happened?! Is this shit for real?!”

“Of course not!” Janii shouts. “Obviously, this is just some dumbass prank! There's no way this is real!”

“But… but Yui… Monokuma really did hurt her. would anyone really pull a prank like that?” Finn trembles.

“Of course! Do you have any idea how many clicks his would get?! This could get on the news and then get millions of hits! Obviously, some loser is doing it for exposure!”

“I don’t… I don’t think… that’s right...” Ellania whispers.

“That’s total bullshit!” Edmund shouts.

Janii was visibly becoming agitated. “Of course I’m right! What else could this be?!”

“They managed to drag all of us here and completely erase any memory we had of the incident! There’s no bloody way anyone would go this far for a prank!” I retort.

“Idiot.” Tobin scoffs at Janii. “If you don’t understand the situation we’re in right now, you’re just as stupid as you look.”

Janii turns on Tobin, “What did you just call me?!”

“I called you stupid because you’re stupid.” Tobin sneers.

“Okay listen here you emo piece of--”

“HEY!!” Janii is suddenly cut off Jade. “Don’t you get it?! This is exactly what Monokuma wants!”

“Jade’s right, ya kno. Dis Momokuma want beef! We start scrappin’, we be givin him what he want, huh? Ain’t nobody here gon start killin’ so easy! We need tah  _relax._ Take it nice and easy and nobody gon get buss up.” Leilani agrees

“I have no idea what you just said but I'm pretty sure I disagree.” Tobin sighs.

“Shut up!” Sofia shouts. “The only thing that matters is getting out of here! Let’s hurry up and bust the door down already!”

Kanae shakes her head. “It would be unwise to do anything reckless. If Monokuma was able to best the Ultimate Ninja so effortlessly, I doubt the rest of us would stand a chance against him. If we are to survive in this situation, we cannot defy our captor without a plan of attack. We need to think carefully about our actions from now on.”

“I… I think she’s right… Maybe we should… take it easy?” Ellania timidly suggests.

“Hell no! We need to figure out how to escape from here!” Sofia snaps.

“Excuse me… Has anyone else read the rules yet?” Finn looks up at us with his Monopad in hand. “We should probably start with that…”

In unison, we all looked down at our tablets and tapped the screen. There were several buttons on the screen, and the one labeled “Rules and Regulations” was glowing. I tapped the button and the rules were displayed.

 

> Rule 1: Monokuma will never directly interfere with the tenants, nor will he commit murder. An exception to this rule is made if a tenant violates a rule.
> 
> Rule 2: With some limitations, you are free to explore the manor at your discretion.
> 
> Rule 3: When a murder occurs in the manor, an Ultimate Trial will be conducted after a certain amount of time has passed. Participation is mandatory for all surviving tenants.
> 
> Rule 4: If the killer, (henceforth the blackened,) is uncovered during the Ultimate Trial, they alone will be punished.
> 
> Rule 5: If the blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect student is identified as the blackened, the blackened is evicted from the Ultimate Manor and may not return. All other tenants will receive punishment.
> 
> Rule 6: There will never be more than one blackened. In the event that multiple murders occur in the same time frame, the one who killed **last** will be considered blackened.
> 
> Rule 7: A body discovery announcement is made when three or more people discover a body.
> 
> Rule 8: Nighttime is officially designated between the hours of 10:00 pm and 8:00 am. Some areas are off limits during this time, so please exercise caution.
> 
> Rule 9: Violence against Monokuma is strictly forbidden.
> 
> Rule 10: Monokuma may add rules as he sees fit.

Just as I had finished reading, Edin broke the silence.

“If we can’t find the killer… we all die… and the killer leaves…”

Edin was right, but none of us dare say it. We were beginning to comprehend the true terror of the rules Monokuma had laid out for us. Anyone who wanted to escape the manor had to kill someone. I couldn’t help but look at everyone else and wonder if any of the people in front of me were seriously considering becoming killers.

“That’s only if a murder happens,” Jade replies coldly. “Nobody is going to murder anyone!”

“Of course nobody's going to kill anyone!” Janii shouts. “None of this is even real!”

Tobin glares at all of us, speaking in a high pitched, mocking voice. “Oh look at me, I’m going to trust everyone! Of course nobody is going to kill anyone, because that’s just cruel! Let’s just hug it out guys, everything's going to be alright if we just believe in everyone! Yay friendship!” Tobias groans. “Shut up. You don’t know that at all! Any one of us could be planning a murder right now! Do you really think it’s wise to trust everyone and just hope that things work out? The more trusting you are, the easier it is to betray you!”

“That’s just… that’s just… wrong…” Ellania whimpers.

“No it isn’t,” Sofia growls. “Trusting others will just get you killed. You don’t know what anyone else in this room is capable of. You don’t know how far anyone else in this room is willing to go to get home.”

Tobias nods “Exactly! Yui was carrying deadly weapons on her during the entrance ceremony. How can you be so sure that nobody else is right now? We all have the means to commit murder, and we all have a motive to do so!”

“He's right…” Edin says to nobody in particular.

“I won’t deny that.” Jade concedes. “But that doesn’t mean this place is every man for himself. We need a set of ground rules to ensure everyone's safety.”

“I agree,” Finn says. “But we shouldn’t we wait until everyone is here first?”

Janii scowls impatiently. “Whatever, I’m starving! I’m gonna get something to eat!”

“Maybe we should all go to the dining room… We won’t be able to think straight… if we’re all hungry and stressed…” Ellania suggests.

We all agree to continue this discussion in the kitchen, and Edin volunteers to bring the others.

We move in silence together towards the kitchen. It was clear all of us were wondering the same thing. What happens next? Was this place truly inescapable? Would a killing really occur? As I walked from ballroom to the kitchen, the reality of the situation began to sink in. This Killing Game was real. If we were in danger because of a natural disaster, an airborne contagion, or even a monster hunting us, we would know what to do, we would know how to protect ourselves, but our danger wasn’t any looming external force, it was the fear and doubt growing in each of our minds. Monokuma had planted the seeds of despair in us, and that despair threatened to consume us all.

 

 

Prologue: Welcome to the Ultimate Manor

END

Surviving Tenants: 16

  



	4. Pitch-Black Hope - Episode 1: Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that my various vacations are over, I can return to this story. Sorry for the hiatus.  
> Starting now, every chapter will begin with basic information from the Monopad, so that you can scroll up and check from any point in the story.
> 
> Tenants:
> 
> Name: Tyler King  
> Talent: Ultimate Volleyball Pro  
> Likes: Hard work  
> Dislikes: Dishonesty
> 
> Name: Daniel Taylor  
> Talent: Ultimate Psychic  
> Likes: Sleeping in  
> Dislikes: Exercise
> 
> Name: Tobin Dwyer  
> Talent: Ultimate Comentator  
> Likes: Black comedy  
> Dislikes: Pushy people
> 
> Name: Edin  
> Talent: Unknown  
> Likes: Being around people  
> Dislikes: Secrets
> 
> Name: DJ_Ghost  
> Talent: Ultimate DJ  
> Likes: Music  
> Dislikes: Swimming
> 
> Name: Alex Galanis  
> Talent: Ultimate Speedrunner  
> Likes: Efficiency  
> Dislikes: Waiting
> 
> Name: Finn Matheus  
> Talent: Ultimate Fan Artist  
> Likes: Quiet places  
> Dislikes: Lewds
> 
> Name: Edmund Clarke  
> Talent: Ultimate White Hat Hacker  
> Likes: Using logic  
> Dislikes: Sentimentality
> 
> Name: Jade Diamond  
> Talent: Ultimate Moderator  
> Likes: Rules  
> Dislikes: Stubborn people
> 
> Name: Sofia Volkov  
> Talent: Ultimate Free Runner  
> Likes: City skylines  
> Dislikes: Being told what to do
> 
> Name: Eva Nilsen  
> Talent: Ultimate Actress  
> Likes: Fashion  
> Dislikes: Plot holes
> 
> Name: Kanae Nishimura  
> Talent: Ultimate Fencer  
> Likes: Romance novels  
> Dislikes: 3D movies
> 
> Name: Leilani Kalili  
> Talent: Ultimate Fire Dancer  
> Likes: Stargazing  
> Dislikes: Big cities
> 
> Name: Ellania Lin  
> Talent: Ultimate ASMR Artist  
> Likes: Calm people  
> Dislikes: Crowds
> 
> Name: Janii  
> Talent: Ultimate Celebrity  
> Likes: Strawberry flavors  
> Dislikes: Low-res videos
> 
> Name: Yui Taylor  
> Talent: Ultimate Ninja  
> Likes: Japanese culture  
> Dislikes: Rude people
> 
> Manor Rules:
> 
> Rule 1: Monokuma will never directly interfere with the tenants, nor will he commit murder. An exception to this rule is made if a tenant violates a rule.
> 
> Rule 2: With some limitations, you are free to explore the manor at your discretion.
> 
> Rule 3: When a murder occurs in the manor, an Ultimate Trial will be conducted after a certain amount of time has passed. Participation is mandatory for all surviving tenants.
> 
> Rule 4: If the killer, (henceforth the blackened,) is uncovered during the Ultimate Trial, they alone will be punished.
> 
> Rule 5: If the blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect student is identified as the blackened, the blackened is evicted from the Ultimate Manor and may not return. All other tenants will receive punishment.
> 
> Rule 6: There will never be more than one blackened. In the event that multiple murders occur in the same time frame, the one who killed last will be considered blackened.
> 
> Rule 7: A body discovery announcement is made when three or more people discover a body.
> 
> Rule 8: Nighttime is officially designated between the hours of 10:00 pm and 8:00 am. Some areas are off limits during this time, so please exercise caution.
> 
> Rule 9: Violence against Monokuma is strictly forbidden.
> 
> Rule 10: Monokuma may add rules as he sees fit.

When we arrived in the dining room, we found dinner already prepared and laid out for us. There was easily enough food for all us. 

“Did… did Monokuma make this?” Finn wonders aloud. “Is it even safe to eat anything made by him?”

“Of course.” Edmund responds, more calmly than I had seen him all day. “The manor’s rules say that Monokuma will never commit murder or interfere with our lives, so there’s no reason to believe that he’d poison us.”

“Is it wise to trust Monokuma so easily?” Kanae asks.

“If Monokuma didn’t want us alive, there’s no way he’d bother with the entrance ceremony and the privileges. There’s no reason to believe that he would kill us himself now, his actions make it very clear that his is heavily invested in our life here.” Edmund responds.

“Okay listen here, smartass.” Janii begins, glaring at him. “The reason that this food is safe to eat is because none of this is real! Nobody’s in danger, this is some kind of joke!” 

It seemed none of us had the energy to argue with her. I sat down to eat and Jade sat next to me. Edin appeared, followed by Alex, Ghost, Daniel, and Eva.

Daniel looks at us gloomily. “We stopped the bleeding and got her cleaned up, she should be fine. She’s resting in her room right now, so I’ll update her on everything we talk about later.”

“Yeah… and we’re stuck here…” Edin adds. 

“We know.” Tobin sighs. 

“He means on this floor.” Alex explains. “Monokuma put up a wall at the top of the stairs. Apparently it’s one of those restrictions on exploration that he mentioned in the rules.”

Kanae raises an eyebrow. “So we’re confined to the first floor for now?”

“For the time being, it looks like it.” Ghost sighs. 

_ Wait, he can make his voice sigh? How advanced is the program he’s talking through? _

Ghost sat next to me and the rest took their seats.

“We need to discuss how to move forward.” Jade begins. “As Monokuma's captives, we can't do anything rash. If we want to survive here, we need some ground rules.”

“We don’t have to be here very long, right?” Finn quietly asks. “I mean… help is on the way… right? Some of you are famous, people will come looking for you… r-right?!”

“About that…” I reluctantly cut in. “Does anybody know what country we’re in? Last thing I remember I was living in Melbourne, but we don’t get snow like that down under… especially not in January…”

Tobin smirks. “Good point, Ty. We could be anywhere on the planet. We could be in Antarctica right now for all we know! There’s no way help is coming!”

“That’s not what I said!”

“It doesn’t matter how long we’re staying here if we all die!” It was Eva who spoke up. “Our top priority should be making sure a murder can’t occur!”

“You might actually have a point!” Tobin chuckled. “I really don't feel like dying in here.”

Jade continues calmly, “Regardless of how long we’re stuck here, we need to exercise caution. Certain areas are closed at night time, but I see no reason to be out at night at all.”

Leilani frowns, but says nothing.

Tobin grins. “That's true! Night is the perfect time to murder someone because there are fewer witnesses and more time to hide evidence. I say anybody who wanders around at night is suspicious!”

Ignoring Tobin, Ghost speaks up. “What about the bathroom?”

“What about it?” Jade inquires. 

“It only had six shower stalls.” Alex explains. “Our suites don't have bathrooms so we’ll have to share. Should we set up some sort of schedule around the showers? Maybe we should let the girls have the bathroom to themselves from 8 to 9, and the guys from 9 to 10?”

“N-no!” Ellania blurts out, sounding strangely assertive. “I mean… I don't think that's necessary…”

“Hell no!” Janii fumed. “I'm not even out of bed until noon!”

“No need, brah!” Leilani giggles.

“Fair enough. Just thought I'd offer.” Alex sighs.

“I thought it was a good idea…” Finn concedes.

“Hold on!” shouts Tobias. “You all don’t seem to realize how vulnerable you are in the shower, Especially Ghost! Anybody could come up behind you, cover your mouth, and slit your throat. When they’re done, they just wash the blood off in the water!”

All eyes were on Tobin after that. He looked like he was about to double down on what he just said, but Edmund spoke first. “What you just said is totally fucked, but you have a point.”

Alex nods reluctantly. “Any quick kill like that would be hard to stop. If one of us dies behind a curtain without making a sound, it would be impossible to know when they died.”

Sofia shrugs. “Wouldn’t that be true anywhere in the manor?”

Daniel shakes his head. “This place is pretty crowded. It would be hard to get someone alone with no witnesses.”

“Everyone should have to shower at the same time! That way, the bathroom is never empty, so there will always be witnesses!” Tobias declares.

“I thought you said trusting others will get you killed!” Sofia scowls at Tobin. “Suddenly you believe in safety in numbers?”

“Oh please! This isn’t about trust at all! If I trusted everyone, I wouldn’t even be bringing this up! It’s impossible to get away with murder if there are that many witnesses, they’d be found out instantly during the trial! That’s why this is a good idea.” Tobin chuckles. 

“From a purely logical perspective, everything he’s saying makes total sense. Keeping the bathroom populated during shower time is objectively safer for everyone.” Edmund reluctantly agrees.

“If it’s gotta be like that then fine!” Eva sighs. “But why do the girls have to get up early?!”

Alex rolls his eyes. “I just figured the girls would like first dibs on the showers before the guys got in there.”

Jade sighs. “As long as everyone showers between 8 and 10 am, there shouldn’t be a problem. There are six stalls and sixteen of us. There should be more than enough time for all of us to shower then. Does anyone object?”

“Ooooh co-ed shower time? How lewd! Is Jade starting a reverse har— Ow!!” Tobin is cut off by Sofia who had gotten up from her seat to punch him across the face.

“Keep talking and I’m going to kick you in the fucking throat.” She growls. 

Janii rolls her eyes. “Oh please! There's no way I'd bother with all this! You all do whatever you want. Don't try to involve me in this shit.”

Evidently, Sofia’s threat worked. Tobin’s sneer was gone. He glares daggers at Janii, but says nothing.

“This is just a suggestion. Nobody here can force you to do anything.” Jade calmly explains. “Anyone else?”

Tobin kept silent, glancing sideways at Sofia.

“Moving on,” Jade begins, “I think that we should all disclose the privileges Monokuma gave us. Those are the greatest threat to us here, and if we know what they are, we can defend ourselves from them.”

“I don't think that's such a good idea, Jade.” It was not Tobin, but Edin that spoke up. “Don’t you think that will make it easier for the killer if they know what to expect or who target?”

This response baffles Jade. “That doesn't make any sense! If we want to prevent a murder from occurring, we need to know what tools everyone has.”

Tobin shrugs. “I'm with Edin on this one. I don't think it's a good idea to give the killer a laundry list of every single weapon and tool in the building.”

“Nothing good can come from keeping secrets!” Jade insists, “I'm just trying to--”

“Of course we need to discuss this!” It was Daniel who came to Jade's aid. “Our privileges could be our ticket out of this place!” 

“That’s exactly right!” Alex agrees. “Leilani! You’re a fire dancer, right! Were you given stuff to get a fire going? Can you burn the door down?!”

Monokuma suddenly appeared, stood on the table. “Are you serious?!” 

Finn shrieks at the sight of Monokuma. “Eep! Uh… it’s…”

“You haven’t even been here a full day and you’re already talking about burning the Ultimate Manor down?!”

“So that means we weren’t here before today…?” Edin speculates aloud.

Monokuma seems taken aback by Edin’s words. “Why you little… You’re not supposed to be getting any hints this early!”

“Eh? Hints?” Leilani’s interest was piqued. 

“Shut up! Do you really think I’ll let you burn this place to the ground?! I can’t believe you guys are making me do this, but I’ve updated your regulations!”

Jade takes out her Monopad and reads the new rule to us.

“Rule 10: Any fire not used for murder must be controlled, and may not cause severe damage to the manor.”

“Jeez, leave it to the speedrunner to look for sequence breaks.” Monokuma mutters as he waddles away.

“Sequence break?” Alex asks. “You mean you’re going to open the door eventually?”

“No more questions!” Monokuma shouts.

“Wait… Monokuma?” Edin calls out after him.

“Quiet you! You’re too curious!” Monokuma snaps before disappearing out the door.

“Oh.. So what now?” Edin asks the rest of us.

“It doesn’t matter if we can’t use fire! We can find a way out, I’m sure of it!” Alex was clearly adamant about this. “If we all pool our resources together! We can totally come up with something!”

Tobin looks defeated as he speaks. “If you all really think that these gifts from Monokuma are our ticket out of here, I won’t stop you from discussing them… That said, you all need to understand that you’re taking a massive risk.”

We took a moment to let those words sink in, then Ellania turned to Daniel.

“We already know Yui’s privilege… It’s the ninja stars, right?”

He nods. “Yeah… that’s all she got.”

“I don’t think we’d ought to be keeping secrets… Maybe it’s best if we come clean now.” I sigh. “I was given exercise equipment. Dumbbells, jump rope, that stuff. I reckon Monokuma’s hoping I’ll use it for murder.”

“Thank you, Tyler.” said Jade. “Is anyone else willing to come forward?” 

Daniel lets out a long, drawn out sigh. “My letter told me all of your names and Ultimates. Additionally, I learned one secret about each of you.”

“Did it say what my Ultimate was?” Edin eagerly asks.

“Nope.”

“You say your letter had a secret about everyone. What exactly do you mean by that?” Kanae was speaking in an inquisitive tone with no hint of forcefulness of threatening, but there was something deeply intimidating about her face that I just couldn’t place.

Daniel, however, seems wholly unaffected by her piercing stare. “May I use you an an example?”

“If you must.”

“Kanae’s left eye is a prosthetic. While she is very perceptive and may be difficult to sneak up on, she struggles with depth perception.” Daniel recites, seemingly from memory. 

_ A glass eye… so that’s what it is…  _

“Gh!” Kanae seems somewhat hurt by those words, but Daniel doesn’t seem to care at all. I can’t say I blame him, he must still be in shock after what happened to his sister.

Alex stares at Daniel in disbelief. “Wait… You knew all of our names before you met us? I thought you read our minds!” 

“Of course not.” Daniel sighs. “I’m a magician who reads people, not an ESP.”

“Oh… Of-- of course…” Alex chuckles awkwardly.

“I was given a panic button on my launchpad to compensate for the fact that I can’t scream.” Ghost says, looking embarrassed. 

_ Lord, I can even hear it in his tone… I should really ask him how he controls his voice so well…  _

“Like… Like a car alarm?” Finn timidly asks.

“Yes… Like a car alarm…” Ghost reluctantly confirms. 

Ellania giggles, “Nice.”

“What about you, Jade?” Tobin asks pointedly. “What’s your privilege?”

Jade frowns. “Very well… The privilege Monokuma gave me… Was something called Ultimate Moderation. My key works on every suite in the manor.”

Sofia seems taken aback by this. “Is that why you wanted us to tell you what we had in our suites? You wanted to know where you could get the goods to commit murder and pin it on one of us! You sneaky little bitch!”

“If I wanted to commit murder, I would have lied about this!”

“Of course!” Ghost nods. “Why would you tell us any of this is you were going to use it?”

Tobin scowls. “It could be reverse psychology. You're just telling us this so we won't suspect you when a murder happens. What proof do I have that you’re not trying to manipulate us right now?”

“Tobin, I just want everyone to--” Jade begins.

“Yeah! You’re way too suspicious!” Edin agrees, cutting her off. 

Janii abruptly stands up, interrupting the argument. “I’m done eating, I’m going back to my room.”

“Wait!” Jade calls out. “We’re not done with--” But it was too late, Janii was already headed out the door.

Sofia stands up as well “Forget her, she’s useless.” She moves to the head of the table. “We can sit here at talk all we want, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re locked up in here! Escape should be our number one priority!”

“I agree! I refuse to believe there’s no way out of here!” Alex shouts, now standing. “There’s more to this manor that we haven’t explored yet! What are we waiting for, we need to explore the rest and find a way out!”

“Correct. There’s no point in talking further, now is the time for action.”

“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“May I come with you?” Edmund proposes. “I’d like to do some exploring myself, and there are a few things I’d like to confirm.”

“Fine. Let’s move.” Sofia turns her back on them, and begins walking out of the room. Edmund and Alex follow. 

“Five down.” Tobin chuckles.

“If we’re done here, I’m gonna go check on Yui. I’ll bring her some food.” Daniel sighs, standing up with a plate full of rice and vegetables. 

“Six!” Tobin announces. 

“Tobin…” Ghost begins. “Are you enjoying this?”

“Are you daft, punk? What’s there to enjoy about being locked in a mansion with sixteen corpses?”

“Ey lolo!” Leilani seemed angry now. “You be giving up so easy? Stupid haole, we gonna fight tah live! No act, you keep talking rubbish you gon get buss up!”

“God I get a headache just listening to you talk. Do you even speak English?”

Leilani glares at Tobin and begins to speak very slowly, as if she was choosing her words carefully. “Tobin. Nobody here… cares about what you have to say…”

Tobin chuckles. “I can take a hint. Clearly, I’m not wanted. I’ll leave you all to it. Just holler if you need a reality check.” He turned his back on us and left with a smirk. 

We sat in silence for a moment, until Leilani sighed. “Toxic, dis bugger be.”

“I think he’s just scared,” Ghost volunteers. “He’s trying to hide his fear by acting like that.”

“Regardless, he is dangerous.” Kanae frowns. 

“Every time that bastard opens his mouth I feel punching him.” Eva sighs. 

Jade speaks in a quiet voice. “That’s the problem. He’s talented at making people angry. When we’re angry, we can't get anything productive done, just look at Janii.”

“We’ll never let something like that come between us!” Ghost sounded genuinely hopeful. “Of course everyone's on edge right now, I’m scared too, but not of any of you, Monokuma is our only enemy! We all want to get out, even Janii and Tobin! We have to unite and work together towards that common interest!”

“Yeah… what he said!” Edin tiredly agrees. 

“Indeed.” Kanae concurs. “Working together towards a common goal would be the safest and most productive way to move forward.”

“Y-yeah…” Leilani agrees, sounding uncertain. “We gon be fine…”

“Of course we will!” Ellania’s voice seemed more confident now that was less crowded.

“R-right…” Finn timidly agrees.

“I mean I guess... ” Eva concedes. 

“Thank you, Ghost.” Jade nods.

_ Was Ghost right? I want to say he was, but I couldn’t help but feel that he was being way too optimistic about this situation. Monokuma must have plans for us. There’s no way he’d let us all out of here just because we started getting along. Is uniting everyone even possible? _


	5. Bonus Scene 1: Clean Bandages

_I woke up to the sound of knocking. Wait… Woke up? How long have I been asleep? Why am I so tired? I hardly cared. That nightmare was finally over… I rolled over in bed and felt a dull pain in my chest._

_Pain…_

_My chest…_

_Hurts…_

_A lot…_

_All at once, it hit me. The pain swelled to a searing heat throughout my core. I resisted the urge to cry out. Now was no time for crying, the nightmare wasn’t over yet. In fact, it had only just begun. I turn myself onto my back just in time to see Dan enter my room._

“Yui…” he breathes. “How are you doing?”

“Onii-chan… you look pale… is it stress?”

His face told me I was right. “Yui! You almost died today!”

I giggle. “Dan… You know I’ll never die this easy… I’m a ninja!”

“Right…” Dan sighs heavily. “I brought you some food…” He sets it on the small table by my bed, then turns to me with sullen eyes. “Are you sure you’re doing alright?”

“Onii-chan, it’s just a scratch…”

“Alright, but as long as I’m here, let me help change you into some clean bandages.”

_He would probably freak out if I tried to get up and do it myself. I’ll humor him._

“Thanks, Dan…”

I take off the bloodied mess on my chest, and Dan helps to fix up some clean ones.

“Yui…” He begins. “Do you understand the situation we’re in right now?” Something in his tone told me he genuinely didn’t expect me to. Has he really given up on me? No, that can’t be it… He’s just worried, that’s all…

“Of course I do… We’re all trapped in here by that bear… he wants to keep us here and watch us kill each other…”

“Right.” Dan nods, and finishes replacing my bandage. “Do you remember how you got here?”

“None of us do, right?”

He shakes his head. “I’m talking about what happened earlier today.”

_It took me a moment to collect my thoughts. What did happen?_

“I tried to fight Monokuma, but he was way too fast… He did this to me. After that… I… I remember you and Ghost… and then… then I was here…”

“Right… And why do you think this all happened, Yui?”

“Dan, why are you asking so many questions?”

There was a long pause then, and Dan let out another sigh. “I’m sorry, Yui… do you need anything else?”

_There’s no way around it, this nightmare is real. Is that what Dan was trying make sure I knew? If that’s the case…_

“The others… how are they handling this?”

I didn’t like the nervousness in his eyes. “Wh- what do you mean, Yui?”

“They all understand what we have to do, right?”

“What are you talking about? You’re not thinking about fighting him again, are you?!”

“Of course not, baka, I’m talking about working together. The only way we can overcome this is as friends - friends who work together and protect each other!”

“Yui…” _Great, now he’s using THAT tone, it’s like he thinks I’m still a kid._ “I know this is a strange situation. We showed up in this place with no clue how we got here, and now that bear wants to keep us trapped here, but this isn’t an anime, Yui… this is real life!”

I chuckle. “Oh please, Dan. Do you really think I don’t know that? If this was an anime, Monokuma’s attack would have killed me and restarted the day from when I woke up.”

“I’m being serious Yui! We aren’t going to overcome this with the powers of hope and friendship!”

“Of course I know that, but what else do we have?!” despite the pain in my chest, I was sitting up now.

“Y-Yui! Calm down! You’re hurt!”

“If we go on hating and distrusting each other, where’s that going to get us?! That kind of thinking is exactly what Monokuma wants! I would rather die than give in to that bear!”

No sooner had I finished that sentence than I felt Dan's arms wrapped around me. “Melody… don't you dare talk like that! I'll never let you die here!”

“D-don’t call me that name!” I struggle out of his grip. “And stop treating me like I’m a kid! We’re both adults!”

“Melody…”

“That’s not my name anymore!”

“Fine… Yui. Do you get how serious this situation is?! If you defy Monokuma again, you _will_ die! Why are you still acting like this?!”

_That’s what this is all about. He thinks I’ll get myself killed…_

“I know that.” My tone must have startled him, because he started to step back. “Dan, I know that my life is on the line, but that’s no reason to give in. Maybe Melody would have given up but I’m not that scrawny little girl anymore! I will survive, Dan. I will survive and lead us all to safety! I refuse to lose to a talking teddy bear! I swear on my honor as a ninja, I’ll never lose to this Killing Game!”

_My tiredness is creeping up on me. Dammit, I can’t pass out now!_

“Yui, calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Dan… I am a ninja.”

“I know, Yui…”

“You know how capable I am. You know that I’m the last person you should be worrying about.”

“I can’t help it, you’re my sister, Yui. I love you too much not to worry.”

“I love you too, Dan, but please, give yourself a break… I’ll be fine, this kind of stress isn’t healthy for you. You need some rest too, Dan.”

_So sleepy… I’m a ninja, I can’t let this beat me!_

He chuckles. “Alright, Yui, but only if you promise to take it easy for a little bit.”

“Fiiiiine.”

“Anyway, while you were out, the rest of us came up with some rules.”

“Oh?” _This seems important. Come on, I'm not that tired!_

“Nighttime in this place lasts from 10 to 8. During that time, we’ve agreed not to leave our rooms.”

“Okay… what else?”

“We’re only supposed to shower in the morning between 8 and 10. If you can walk, you should wash up and get some new bandages. I’ll be here to help if you need it.”

“Why can’t we shower whenever? All of us showering around the same time just sounds like cheap fanservice…”

“It’s to make sure there are always witnesses.”

“W-witnesses?!”

Dan sighs. “It’s too easy to kill someone in the shower.”

“Easy?! What do you mean, easy?! Dan! That’s terrible!”

“I’m sorry, that was a bad way to put it… It’s just that we’re so vulnerable then…”

“That sorta makes sense, but still… it’s horrible to be thinking like that!”

“Maybe it is, but Yui, nobody wants to die here…”

“Oh, I see… it’s about fear.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everyone’s afraid, so they want to feel safe… Maybe rules like this will help them feel safe. If they do, it might be easier to trust each other and get along.”

_Not yet… I’m not tired, I’m not tired, i’m NOT tired!_

“Trust… right.” There was something I didn’t like about his tone. Did he just slip something into his pocket? I can never tell with him, he’s too good at hiding it. “I don’t want to keep you up too long, you need rest.”

“Dan… what’s wrong?”

He smiles “Oh, it’s nothing, I was just remembering something Tobin said. Don’t worry about it. Hey, you’re a light sleeper right?”

_Why is he changing the subject?_

“Yeah… why?”

Dan laughs warmly “You think you can hide how exhausted you are from me? Get some rest Yui. I’ll close your door when I leave, so nobody disturbs you. Goodnight.”

He always could read me like a book. I didn’t have the energy left to try and figure him out. “Fine,” I pout. “Goodnight, Onii-chan.”

As he left, I realized how hungry I was. So hungry, and so sleepy. After a few mouthfuls of rice, I felt myself start to drift off.

Drift off…

Drift…

Dri…


End file.
